Councillors call for immediate takeover of Castlebar estate

Councillors call for immediate takeover of Castlebar housing estate


Ciara Galvin
ciaragalvin@mayonews.ie

Residents of Dunbeag Estate, Castlebar, have been told by Castlebar Town Manager Seamus Granahan that a detailed report in relation to the takeover of the estate by Castlebar Town Council would be made available to them at the next meeting of the town council next month.
People who purchased houses and apartments in the estate have been left in a state of limbo according to Dunbeag resident Nigel Quinn, due to legislation enforced on new home owners at the time of planning subjecting the management of the estate to a management company of which the agent has since resigned.
The Dunbeag estate is made up of over 100 houses and apartments and was developed by Kamer Construction less than ten years ago. Kamer Construction has gone into receivership and the agent acting as the management company informed residents by e-mail in February that they were withdrawing their services this month.
Mr Quinn said this has left the lay people of the estate to become accountants, solicitors and bankers virtually overnight, adding that this is ‘nigh on impossible’.
Speaking on behalf of the residents at last week’s Castlebar Town Council meeting, Brian Hope, said he and his neighbours have been left in the dark since the former agent had stepped down leaving them without public liability insurance and ‘stung financially’ for the upkeep of roads, lighting and paths at a cost of €2,000 per resident so far.
Mr Granahan said although residents were told by the receiver Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), that there was nothing stopping the town council from taking over the estate, Mr Granahan said the receiver’s job was to recoup as much money as possible for the bank involved and that as the estate was nearly completed the receiver had little more to gain.
“We want to safeguard the town council’s interests in a number of estates in the same situation and we don’t want to let the developers off the hook,” stated Mr Granahan.
Cllr Harry Barrett proposed the town council should take over the estate on the last day the management company cease trading and that all bonds be withheld from Kamer estates.
In collective agreement that the estate should be taken over by Castlebar Town Council as soon as possible, councillors were however informed by the Director of Services that because there was a stipulation in the housing contracts saying the estate needs a management company in order to comply with planning, Mr Granahan warned that a takeover would not be able to happen immediately.
Mr Granahan told the residents that the Town Engineer would look at conditions of the takeover and the wording of the agreements for the report would be looked at ‘very carefully’. The Director of Services concluded that a report would be made available to the residents at the next meeting of the Castlebar Town Council and residents would then be given a date for takeover of the estate.

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